Roller rocker



I Fb. 1943. A. J. HARPSTRITE ROLLER ROCKER Filed April 10. 19140 )7 Q 2 I J gm 1 Patented Feb. 16, 1943 ROLLER ROCKER Augustus J. Harpstrite, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Julia 0. Harpstrite, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application April 10, 1940, Serial No. 328,913

1 Claim.

This invention is a rockerless, roller rocking chair with a self-positioning seat and back frame and involves an automatic cushion means acting resiliently when the chair seat frame is tilted to and fro.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical, comfortable, low-cost and substantial, rigid foot rocker. A further object is to provide a rocker having its seat fulcrum located practically at the bottom plane of the seat frame to avoid the undesirable magnitude of sway of the body of an occupant as is the case where the chair is of the type having elongate foot-rockers and the whole chair tilts on a fulcrum which moves on the floor or other support when the chair is swayed to and fro.

All types of metallic springs are objectionable for the reason that, in chair structures, they must be stiff and short in order to sustain the Weight of the average person and the consequence is that break down of steel springs is frequent. An object of this invention is to replace metal springs by rubber blocks confined in recesses to be subjected to compression by a part of the swaying chair part which will hereinafter be called the seat, and the standing part of the chair will be called the foot.

The invention consists in certain advances in this art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, and whose construction, combinations, and sub-combinations, and details of means, and the manner of operation will be made manifest in the ensuing description of the herewith illustrative apparatus; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations may be resorted to within the scope, spirit and principle of the invention as it is more particularly claimed hereinbelow,

Figure l is a perspective of the improved chair.

Figure 2 is a cross-section of the chair axle at the vertical plane of one of its presser pins the section plane being on the axis of the plate pin.

Figure 3 is a cross-section of the axle (detached from the chair) showing its pin attaching plate, and pin bushing.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal elevation of the partly sectioned axle, and sectional detail of the axle mountings, on respective seat and foot parts of the chair.

Figure 5 is a perspective of a rubber cushion device for an axle pin.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a bearing box of an imposed axle-race supporting roller device (enlarged over the showing of Fig. 4)

Figure 7 is a detail section on line 1-'I of Fig. 4, across the axle and along the roller box; showing the rollers in end view.

Figure 8 is a perspective of a dissociated holddown strap.

The tilting part of the chair has a back and a suitable stuffed or padded bottom and constitutes the chair seat 2 which incorporates a strong horizontal frame 3. Attached to the bottom face of the frame is a pair of plates 4 from which extend rigid, fixed pins 5 of a length to pass diametrically through a stout shaft or axle 6 and project well below the axle to receive loose bushings I.

The axle has afiixed thereto upper, segmental races or journals 88, near its ends, to bear and tilt on suitable anti-friction rollers 9 sets of which are spindle journaled in channel boxes 9 placed in the upper parts of spaced feet i9 which are rigidly connected by cross-braces H. Plates 9a lap over side edges of the races 8 and cover the boxes 9.

When the chair axle is mounted on its bearings 9 and the seat 2 is tilted to and fro as to the axis of the axle the coplanar downwardly extending pins 5 swing back and forth and in such action they are subjected to yielding resistance of mutual rubber blocks E2 in which the bushings 1 of the pins are embedded. The blocks are securely mounted in recesses I3 therefor in the upper ends of the chair feet H) and during action of the chair seat the pins 5 may slightly reciprocate in their bushings 1 as these are gripped in holes 14 in the firm, but elastic blocks 12 which are supported on plates l2 fixed, to the leg parts, at the bottom of the recesses l3.

Hold-down straps l5 hang over the axle and attach to the feet-by pairs of lugs Hi to retain the seat in place, tiltably on the, axis of axle 6, on the feet.

The rubber cushions or blocks i2 function to normally maintain the seat level and are of a strength to nearly counterbalance the weight of the average adult.

While the novel rocker device is here shown as incorporated in a chair structure it is not limited to such an adaptation,

What is claimed is:

A rockerless, oscillating chair including a legless frame for a seat, a non-shiftable oscillative axle bar extending from side to side of and rigidly fixed to the under side of the seat frame, a foot frame and anti-friction hearings in the tops of the sides of the foot frame for directly journalling ends of the said bar, rubber blocks countersunk rigidly on the foot frame and inwardly of and adjacent to the said bearings, and pins fixed in and extending radially down from the axle and interengaged centrally in the said blocks to compress the same as the seat frame oscillates with the axle on the bearings; the arrangement being such that oscillation is about an axis close to and under the seat frame, the blocks being bodily below the bar and the blocks having a reaction function on the pins in either direction of stroke of the pins,

AUGUSTUS J. HARPSTRI'IE. 

